The Vatican enclave state is located in Italy, inside the territory of Rome. It is here that the Pope's residence is located. Why is this dwarf state so interesting? Next, we suggest reading more unique and interesting facts about the Vatican.
1. The Vatican is the smallest independent state in the world.
2. The Vatican is named after the MonsVaticanus hill. Translated from Latin Vacitinia means a place of fortune-telling.
3. The area of the state is 440 thousand square meters. In comparison, this is 0.7 times the area of TheMall in Washington, DC.
4. The length of the state border of the Vatican is 3.2 kilometers.
5. The Vatican acquired the status of an independent state on February 11, 1929.
6. The political regime of the Vatican is an absolute theocratic monarchy.
7. All Vatican residents are ministers of the Catholic Church.
8.Vatican citizenship has the right to receive only a select few - ministers of the Holy See, as well as representatives of the Pope's Swiss guard. Approximately 50% of the country's population has a passport with the diplomatic status of the Holy See, which confirms their citizenship. Citizenship is not inherited, is not given at birth and is canceled in connection with the end of employment.
9. The Pope of Rome is the Sovereign of the Holy See, he presides over all types of power: legislative, executive and judicial.
10. Cardinals elect the Pope for life.
11. All Vatican residents have the citizenship of the country where they were born.
12. Diplomats accredited to the Vatican live in Rome, since they have nowhere to stay on the territory of the state.
13. On the map of the state, there is a limited number of objects, namely 78.
14. Pope Benedict XVI actively uses his mobile phone, regularly sending messages to his subscribers with sermons. A special channel has been created on YouTube, where various ceremonies are broadcast. And on the iPhone, you can install an application with daily prayers for Catholics.
15. On the roof of a Vatican building, solar panels are installed that provide power to electrical, lighting and heating appliances.
16. The Vatican does not have its own official language. Documents are most often published in Italian and Latin, and people speak English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and other languages.
17. The population of the Vatican is just over 1000 people.
18. 95% of the population of the state are men.
19. The Vatican does not have an agricultural sector.
20. The Vatican is a non-profit state, the economy is supported mainly by taxes levied from the Roman Catholic dioceses of different countries.
21. Tourism and donations from Catholics represent a huge share of the Vatican's income.
22. The production of coins and postage stamps is developed.
23. In the Vatican, absolute literacy, i.e. 100% of the population are literate people.
24. People of many nationalities live in the state: Italians, Swiss, Spaniards and others.
25. The Vatican is landlocked.
26. The standard of living here is comparable to that of Italy, as is the income of the working people.
27. There are practically no highways here, and most of them are streets and lanes.
28. On the flag of the Vatican there are white and yellow vertical stripes, and in the center of the white one there is the coat of arms of the state in the form of two crossed keys of St. Peter under a tiara (papal crown).
29. The residence of the head of state is the Lateran Palace, here the Lateran agreement was signed.
30. Before the advent of Christianity, the place where the modern Vatican is located was considered sacred, access to ordinary people was prohibited here.
31. Such great artists as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Bernini lived and worked in the Vatican.
32. You will be surprised, but the Vatican has a very high crime rate. According to statistics, for each person there is at least 1 crime (!) Per year. Such frightening statistics are explained by the fact that the law is violated by tourists and employees living in Italy. 90% of the atrocities remain unsolved.
33. The Vatican has a planned economy. This means that the government is entrusted with managing the state budget of $ 310 million.
34. A small state has several types of armed forces: the Palatine (palace) guard, the Papal gendarmerie, the Noble guard. Separately, it should be said about the famous Swiss Guard, subordinate exclusively to the Holy See.
35. There are no airports in the Vatican, but there is a helipad and a railway 852 meters long.
36. Own television is absent, as well as a mobile operator.
37. The Vatican has a single bank called the Institute for Religious Affairs.
38. In the Vatican, marriages and children are very rare. During the entire existence of the state, only 150 marriages were concluded.
39. Vatican radio station broadcasts in 20 languages in different parts of the world.
40. All buildings of the state are landmarks.
41. The majestic St. Peter's Cathedral is larger than all the world's Christian churches. The author of the grandiose architectural ensemble is the Italian Giovanni Bernini.
42. The area of the cathedral is surrounded by two symmetrical semicircular colonnades, which consist of 4 rows of Doric columns with a total number of 284.
43. A huge 136-meter dome rises above the building of the cathedral - the brainchild of Michelangelo.
44. To climb to the top of the cathedral, you will have to overcome 537 steps. If you don't feel like walking, you can take the elevator.
45. The Vatican produces printed materials, in particular the newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, which is published in various languages.
46. In a small country, the age of consent is low - 12 years. In other European countries, it is higher.
47. For most countries it became obvious long ago that the Earth revolves around the Sun, and in the Vatican this fact was officially recognized only in 1992.
48. Many materials kept in the state have been classified for a long time. In 1881, Pope Leo XIII allowed seminary students to visit the archives.
49. Today you can easily familiarize yourself with papal correspondence, even a thousand years ago, but you need to know what exactly you want to read. The length of the bookshelves is 83 kilometers, and no one will allow you to wander around the halls in search of the necessary literature.
50. The Swiss army has long been famous for its combat power and ability to handle weapons. The warriors from this country made a strong impression on Pope Julius II, and he "borrowed" several people to guard. Since that time, the Swiss Guard has been guarding the Holy See.
51. The territory of the state is surrounded by medieval walls.
52. The border of the Vatican with Italy is not officially marked, but formally it passes through St. Peter's Square.
53. The Vatican owns some objects located in Italy. These are the radio station Santa Maria di Galeria, the Basilica of San Giovanni, the summer residence of the Pope in Castel Gandolfo and a number of educational institutions.
54. It will take about an hour to get around the Vatican around the perimeter.
55. Telephone code of the state: 0-03906
56. The Vatican ATMs are unique in that they have a menu in Latin.
57. In this state, you will not find a single traffic light.
58. Citizens of the Vatican are exempt from paying Italian taxes.
59. The magnificent Vatican gardens are closely guarded. Of the many fountains installed here, the Galleon Fountain stands out - a miniature copy of an Italian sailing ship, firing water from cannons.
60. The Vatican is home to the world's oldest pharmacy, founded in 1277. It sells rare medicines that are not always found in Italy.
61. In the Historical Museum you can see various collections of weapons, such as old Venetian sabers and unusual muskets.
62. For more than a hundred years, the Vatican has not known fires, but 20 firefighters are on duty around the clock. By the way, there are only 3 fire trucks.
63. Vatican Apostolic Library - repository of the richest collection of medieval manuscripts and manuscripts. Here is the oldest copy of the Bible, published in 325.
64. The halls of the Vatican's palace and park complex are named after the Renaissance artist Raphael. Thousands of people come to admire the master's creations every year.
65. The Vatican has the only supermarket called "Annona". Not everyone can buy goods there, but only those who have a special DIRESCO pass.
66. The Vatican Post annually delivers approximately 8 million letters.
67. It is profitable to buy fuel in the Vatican, because it is 30% cheaper than Italian.
68. Vatican priests regularly cast out evil spirits. According to Chief Exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth, around 300 demons are exorcised each year.
69. Every priest has the right to forgive the sins of the converted person.
70. According to the local newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Homer and Bart Simpsons are Catholic. They pray before eating and believe in an afterlife, while Homer prefers to sleep on Sunday sermons in the Presbyterian Church.
71. The Vatican is known to be located in Italy, therefore a Schengen visa is required to visit it.
72. The Pope has a Twitter account.
73. Michelangelo at first categorically did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel, claiming that he was a sculptor, not an artist. Then he agreed.
74. In the Vatican, you can take pictures almost everywhere, except for the Sistine Chapel.
75. Pius IX ruled the Vatican the longest: 32 years.
76. Stephen II was Pope for only 4 days. He died of a stroke of apoplexy and did not even live to see his coronation.
77. Pope's mobiles designed to move the Pope look very extravagant.
78. St. Peter's Square is the largest Roman square, its dimensions are 340 by 240 meters.
79. The famous Sistine Chapel was erected at the end of the 15th century by order of Pope Sixtus IV, the construction was supervised by the architect G. de Dolci.
80. The Sistine Chapel is closed only during the election of the Pope. The results of voting can be found out by the column of smoke from burning ballots. If a new head of the Vatican is chosen, then the chapel is enveloped in white smoke, otherwise - black.
81. The monetary unit of the Vatican is the euro. The state mints coins with its own symbols.
82. The Pio Cristiano Museum contains ancient works of Christian art, most of which were created within 150 years after the crucifixion of Jesus.
83. The Ethnological Missionary Museum, founded by Pope Pius XI in 1926, contains exhibits from all over the world, sent by dioceses and individuals.
84. In the Vatican museums, you can see 800 paintings of a religious nature, to the writing of which world famous artists have had a hand: Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Dali, Picasso and others.
85. If you want to rent a car, you cannot do without $ 100, a credit card and an international license.
86. When calling a taxi by phone, it is advisable to agree in advance on the fare.
87. In the shops of the Vatican you can buy a variety of souvenirs - magnets, calendars, postcards, key chains and more.
88. Castel Sant'Angelo was a refuge for the Popes, there was a torture chamber, and now the fortress houses the National War Museum and the Museum of Art.
89. Under the Cathedral of St. Peter there are the Sacred grottoes of the Vatican - catacombs, narrow tunnels, niches and chapels.
90. Every Sunday afternoon, the Pope blesses the people who have come to St. Peter's Square.
91. The Vatican Football Team is officially recognized but not part of FIFA. The national team players are Swiss Guards, members of the Pontifical Council and museum curators. The team has its own logo and a white and yellow soccer jersey.
92. St. Peter's stadium in Rome is the only football field, if you can call it that. In fact, this is just a clearing that is difficult to play on. In this regard, the Vatican national team plays at the Stadio Pius XII stadium, located in Albano Laziale. This is the home arena of the ASD Albalonga club from the Italian Serie D. The stadium has a capacity of 1500 spectators.
93. In the football league of the Vatican, the teams "Guardsmen", "Bank", "Telepochta", "Library" and others play. In addition to the championship, competitions are held within the framework of the "Cup of Clerics" among seminarians and priests from Catholic educational institutions. The winners receive an interesting trophy - a metal soccer ball mounted on a pair of boots and decorated with a hat of Catholic priests.
94. Football rules in the Vatican are somewhat different than in other countries. The match lasts an hour, i.e. each half lasts 30 minutes. For breaking the rules, the player receives a blue card that replaces the usual yellow and red cards. The offender serves a 5-minute penalty and returns to the field.
95. The Polish documentary "Opening the Vatican" tells the story of the enormous cultural wealth of a small state.
96. How the Vatican lived during the Nazi occupation of Rome is described in the film "Scarlet and Black".
97. The film "Torment and Joy" is dedicated to the details of the conflict between the sculptor and painter Michelangelo and Pope Julius II.
98. The documentary-historical tape "Secret Access: Vatican" reveals the secrets of the largest city-museum.
99. The documentary "Scrinium Domini Papae", produced by the Vatican Television Center, tells about the center of world Catholicism.
100. Dan Brown's book "Angels and Demons" deals with the connection of modern science with the search for the divine principle in the Vatican.
